Family Resources
Nobody should have to learn this alone, and nobody has to. The organizations below are national, free or close to it, and built for the people around a struggling teenager – parents, siblings, grandparents – rather than for clinicians. None of them treats teens or competes with anyone who does. They explain, they connect, and they keep you company.
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Take the First Step Toward Feeling Better
National Organizations for Families, by What You Need
To Understand What Is Going On
AACAP Facts for Families
Short, plain-language sheets on dozens of child and teen mental health topics, from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness (https://www.nami.org/) – condition guides, a HelpLine, and NAMI Basics, a free class for parents and caregivers of young people with mental health concerns
Mental Health America (https://www.mhanational.org/) – screening tools, plain explanations of conditions, and guidance for parents and caregivers
For Parents Who Need Other Parents
NAMI Family Support Group (https://www.nami.org/support-education/support-groups/nami-family-support-group/) – free, peer-led groups for adults with a loved one living with a mental health condition, in person and online
National Alliance for Eating Disorders (https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/) – free, therapist-led support groups for loved ones and a helpline staffed by clinicians, (866) 662-1235
IOCDF – International OCD Foundation (https://iocdf.org/) – resources for families of young people with OCD and related disorders, including how to stop accommodating rituals at home
CHADD
parent training, guides, and support for families of children and teens with ADHD
For Suicide Prevention and Safety at Home
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/) – what to say and do when you are worried about a teen, how to make a home safer, and support for families after a loss
The Jed Foundation (https://jedfoundation.org/) – a resource center for teens and young adults on emotional health, with guidance for the parents around them
For Families of LGBTQ+ Teens
The Trevor Project (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/) – crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people around the clock, plus guides for the adults who love them
PFLAG (https://pflag.org/) – local chapters where parents and families of LGBTQ+ people meet, learn, and support one another
Family Acceptance Project (https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/) – research-based guidance on how family acceptance protects LGBTQ+ teens’ health, with materials for families of every faith and background
For Siblings, Screens, and Finding Care
Sibling Support Project (https://siblingsupport.org/) – Sibshops and online groups for brothers and sisters of young people with health and mental health needs, including SibTeen
Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) – practical guidance on phones, social media, and screen time for families, without the panic
SAMHSA (https://www.samhsa.gov/) – the federal agency for mental health and substance use, with a national helpline and the FindTreatment.gov locator
If a resource raises a question about your teen specifically, that is what our team in Austin is for. Call (866) 638-6171 – 24/7 confidential support, a free, confidential assessment for your teen on the same call, and no obligation attached to either. The same team reads whatever comes through our Contact Us page.
How to Use These Alongside Treatment
a single support group that fits your situation beats a browser full of tabs
a NAMI group can tell you how another family coped; Parent Coaching & Support here tells you what to do with your kid on Tuesday. They work best together
none of these organizations is an emergency service. If your teen is in immediate danger, call or text 988 or call 911, and keep our Crisis Hotlines page saved
if what you find keeps describing your teenager, our Teen Mental Health Conditions guides go deeper, and the free online assessment turns the pattern into something our team can work from
Family Resources for Teen Mental Health: Parent FAQs
Why are there no treatment centers on this list?
On purpose. This page is for national organizations that inform and support families, not for programs that treat teens – including ours. If you are comparing treatment options, that conversation belongs on a phone call, where a free, confidential assessment can tell you which level of care fits rather than which website ranks highest.
Are these resources free?
Most of what is listed is free: the support groups, the fact sheets, the helplines, the guides. Some organizations charge for events, books, or trainings, and a few run programs with fees. Check each site before you count on anything – and never let a cost stop you from calling a helpline, which is always free.
Which one should we start with?
Match it to tonight. Worried but not in crisis: an AACAP fact sheet on what you are seeing. Exhausted and alone in it: a NAMI Family Support Group meeting this week. A sibling who is struggling too: the Sibling Support Project. An LGBTQ+ teen and a family still catching up: the Family Acceptance Project. Anything urgent: 988 first, then our Crisis Hotlines page.
Family Resources for Teen Mental Health Include a Phone Number
Organizations can teach you what to expect. Only people who know your teen can tell you what to do next. Call (866) 638-6171 for 24/7 confidential support and a free, confidential assessment, or send a note through our Contact Us page – and keep this list bookmarked for the nights in between.